Not sure if this is the place to post this but boots are important riding tools right?

My hubby wants to know what I want for mother's day and I was thinking riding boots. I have been doing mostly ground work while the trainer has been riding but I am going to need boots soon. I have just been riding the lesson horses with my hiking boots!

So...we can't afford too much but would like a nice pair. nothing too fancy. IF i show this year it will be western and I can wear my cowboy boots, but I don't want to wear them out riding...

Should I get the full boot, or the short boot and the thing that goes over the pants?

if you're just starting out i'd suggest a nice pair of paddock boots (the short ones) and some half chaps (thing that goes over the pants). if you have a tack store nearby i'd suggest going there and trying them out. without a good idea of what size you need it's hard to order them through a catalog and actually get the right size/shape/height/etc.

i personally love ariats but they're not the cheapest of brands. not sure what your budget would be but i'd recommend them. i've had my ariat cobalt zip paddocks for at least 10 years now and they're still going strong. i want to say they cost me about $200 new back then. similar ones are going for about that same price now (but with more spiffy upgrades haha).

a decent pair of half chaps will run you around $50 in my experience. there are of course much more expensive pairs, but for just starting out and hacking there's nothing wrong with a good fitting pair of canvas half chaps.

The most practical and versatile solution is a pair of short (paddock) boots, or even *GASP* riding trainers, I just love mine, and then a pair of half chaps. Means that you can do mix and match, gives you versatility.

I have to say though that I LOVE riding in long boots, I feel different when I'm wearing them, and if your budget runs to long boots I would go for it. I have a pair of Smokey Mountain field boots with zips up the back that I find very comfortable.

I have recently bought a pair of second hand Effingham boots on Ebay, I bought them a little big in the calf, and am waiting to go and get them altered to fit properly, they are going to be AWESOME.

I like to ride in lace-up boots. Justin Lace-rs or Ariat lace-ups. I have weak busted ankles and the fact that you can cinch them up to provide a little extra support works really well for me. They are comfortable, stylish and functional in my opinion. I've shown in them, ridden trails in them and mucked stalls in them. They work well for all three purposes. I dislike the 'tuck your pants into these pretty boots' boots...simply because I don't like the way they look.

Another vote for Ariats! Love them! They last forever and I have purchased a few used pairs off of ebay for cheap and they are still in great condition.

I would suggest that you consider a boot that will slip off of your foot if you get caught in the stirrup. I have been riding for many years and have fallen off more times then I can count. However, just a few months ago my horse tripped and fell to his knees. I went flying forward but my foot stayed stuck in the stirrup. I was wearing my lace up Ariats. I was hanging off the side of my horse and my boot would not come out of the stirrup and my foot would not come out of the boot. Not to be dramatic, but honestly, at the last second before my horse totally blew up, my boot came loose and I fell out of the way as my horse went bucking off. If my boot had not come out of the stirrup at that moment, I think things would have ended very badly. I was riding in a western saddle. This is the only time that anything like that has ever happened to me, but I will never again ride in a boot that will not slip off of my foot in that type of situation.

This has already been said but I highly recommend Ariat boots! I've had mine for 4 or 5 years now and they've never failed me. They are a bit pricey but my boots have definitely been worth it. Although I've seen Ariat boots in the $80-$200 range.

I just got a pair of Ariat Probaby's...they are 'stirrup approved'. I will let you know how they are after I break them in a bit. So far I can say they are cute and comfy, but I haven't ridden in them yet.

"My treasures do not clink together or glitter; They gleam in the sun and neigh in the night."
-Arabian Proverb

Another vote for Ariats. For me, they are the most comfortable boots I can find.

I have a pair of Quickdraws (square toe) that I've been using daily for over a year in a very.....um.....hostile work environment (water, sweat, horse poop and pee, mud, brush, etc) and other than a couple of deep scratches from where I stepped on a nail and a few minor scrapes, they look almost brand new. I could clean them up a bit and they would look perfect for a show.

Always remember that feeling of looking at a big, open country over the ears of a good horse, seeing a new trail unwind ahead of you, and that ever-spectacular view from the top of the ridge!!! Follow my training blog: http://robertsontraining.blogspot.com/

Register Now

In order to be able to post messages on the The Horse Forum forums, you must first register.

Already have a Horse Forum account?
Members are allowed only one account per person at the Horse Forum, so if you've made an account here in the past you'll need to continue using that account. Please do not create a new account or you may lose access to the Horse Forum. If you need help recovering your existing account, please Contact Us. We'll be glad to help!

New to the Horse Forum?Please choose a username you will be satisfied with using for the duration of your membership at the Horse Forum. We do not change members' usernames upon request because that would make it difficult for everyone to keep track of who is who on the forum. For that reason, please do not incorporate your horse's name into your username so that you are not stuck with a username related to a horse you may no longer have some day, or use any other username you may no longer identify with or care for in the future.

User Name:

Password

Please enter a password for your user account. Note that passwords are case-sensitive.

Password:

Confirm Password:

Email Address

Please enter a valid email address for yourself.

Email Address:

OR

Log-in

User Name

Password

Remember Me?

Human Verification

In order to verify that you are a human and not a spam bot, please enter the answer into the following box below based on the instructions contained in the graphic.

Old Thread Warning

This thread is more than 90 days old. When a thread is this old, it is often better to start a new thread rather than post to it. However, If you feel you have something of value to add to this particular thread, you can do so by checking the box below before submitting your post.I am aware that this is an old thread and I want to revive it rather than starting a new thread.